Aid convoy for Syrian refugees leaves Riyadh

Source:Arabnews (Read full story)

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Saudi Arabia has led Arab diplomatic efforts to isolate the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad over his suppression of a 17-month-old rebellion against his rule.The Kingdom has accused Assad of targeting civilians.The Saudi Press Agency reported that the campaign, which was launched by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah with a $ 5.3 million donation, had raised SR 468 million.
The 43 aid trucks assembled in a shopping mall car park in northern Riyadh before the sunset prayer, loaded with food, medicine and clothing under orange tarpaulins.

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Join drive to ban cluster bombs

Source: Gulf Daily News (Read full story)

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A BAHRAINI activist is urging the community to join an international campaign urging immediate action against cluster bombs being used around the world.

Former co-ordinator to Amnesty International Bahrain Nasser Burdestani is calling for Bahrainis to create a social movement against the explosive devices and to support the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

It comes as activists across the globe marked the second anniversary of the convention that fell on August 1, which is widely considered as the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty in over a decade.

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Abu Dhabi’s Aabar to Invest in Oman’s Al Izz Islamic Bank

Source:Bloomberg (Read full story)

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Prior to Bank Nizwa and Al Izz, Oman was the only country in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council without dedicated Islamic banks. Bank assets that comply with Shariah’s ban on paying and receiving interest may account for a 10th of the industry’s total within 12 months of starting services, Hilal Al Barwani, vice president of banking supervision at the Central Bank of Oman said in January.

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